The core of this invention lies in a new concept of an electrochemical cell which allows high reaction rates and separate anode sections and cathode sections disclosed in our Australian Patent No. 654774. This present invention details the commercial scale equipment and systems using the principles in our Australian Patent no. 654774.
This present invention addresses the situation of many electrolytic processes which work satisfactorily in a small scale but fail when applied to pilot plant or commercial scale plants.
The conventional electrochemical cell for carrying out oxicising and reducing reactions consists of an anode section and a cathode section separated by a diaphragm where ions produced at the anode must migrate through the diaphragm to the cathode to be reduced. This process is too slow and does not prevent impurities from co-depositing with the desired metal at the cathode.